The for-itself learns what it is by recovering its being through the world

Evidence

But since the for-itself constitutes itself qua presence, as a non-positional self-consciousness, it makes known to itself, outside itself, through being, what it is not. It recovers its being outside in the mode “the-reflection-reflecting.” The complementary negation which the for-itself is as its own possibility is then a negation-presence; that is, the for-itself has to be it as a nonthetic self-consciousness and as a thetic consciousness of being-beyond-being. — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness, 605

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines negation-presence: the for-itself is its own possible negation as both nonthetic self-consciousness and thetic consciousness of surpassing.
• DEEPTHINKING: The structure of self-knowledge passing outward through being before returning — non-positional recovery of itself via the world — is a dense, paradigm-shifting move worth sitting with.
• XREF: connects to: The living for-itself is what brings its past into being-in-the-world. — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness: An Essay on…, 426; One’s past is grounded in the world by becoming In-itself, losing transcendence.; Knowledge is a form of appropriation by the for-itself (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• The past is a for-itself that has hardened into an in-itself #corroborates (0.85) — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness, 434
• The for-itself is defined as an internal negation of the in-itself, bridged through knowledge #expands (0.85) — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness, 37
• One’s past is grounded in the world by becoming In-itself, losing transcendence. #corroborates (0.80)
• Knowledge is a form of appropriation by the for-itself #expands (0.75)